Masjid al-Aqsa will forever be ours

Glorified be he, who carried his servant by night from Masjid al-Ḥarām to Masjid al-Aqṣa the precincts of which we have blessed, that we might show him some of our signs. He is the all-hearing, the all-seeing.

[Qur’ān, 17: 1]

Once again, the vicious occupier in the land of Palestine has unleashed another wave of violence and oppression culminating in the recent closure of Masjid al-Aqṣa. As clearly expressed in the aforementioned verse, these precincts are blessed and it should be of no surprise that Muslims the world over feel the pain of Jerusalem as being their pain.

As with the other sacred masājid (mosques) in Mecca and Medina, Masjid al-Aqṣa is ours. It belongs to the last Ummah (nation), the Ummah of Abu’l-Qāsim, Muḥammad bin Abdallah al-Hāshimi al-Qurayshi; the mercy sent unto all creation, the seal of the Prophets. And he, blessings and peace be upon him said, there is no Prophet after him and there will be no Ummah after us:

[Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān] Umar ibn Muḥammad al-Hamdāni reported to us he said Abdal-Malik bin Sulaymān al-Qarqasāni narrated to us he said Esa bin Yunus narrated to us he said ‘Imrān bin Sulaymān al-Qumi narrated to us from ash-Sha’bi he said I heard Fāṭima bint Qays say: The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him ascended the pulpit praised Allah and extolled Him and then said: ‘I now warn of the Dajjāl (antichrist), for there was no Prophet before me except that he warned his Ummah about him. He will be among you O Ummah, and there will be no Prophet after me and no Ummah after you.’

A century of Occupation

Despite whomsoever may make assertions to the contrary, custodianship of these mosques is with the Ummah of Muḥammad peace be upon him. No individual, group, nation-state or even a vicious occupier, can alter that. Masjid al-Aqṣa will forever be in our hearts, just as we read the blessed verse, though it is temporarily out of our grasp.

The occupier of this land becomes emboldened by the day. Not content with the most inhumane siege in living memory (Gaza), it wishes to try and trample upon that which is sacred and blessed.

And yet, once again, paralysis seems to grip the Ummah of Muḥammad peace be upon him. In one breath, there may be condemnation at the actions of the occupier. Yet at the same time, there is an expression of loyalty to artificial nation-states drawn by colonial administrators. Worse still there is obedience, respect and loyalty to the tyrants who hold power with an iron fist. It is these same tyrants, from the Mediterranean to the Gulf and beyond, who are the occupiers’ loyal allies. They brazenly co-operate with her in the siege of Gaza and now tacitly in the oppression in Jerusalem. The vicious occupier undertakes its criminal actions in the full knowledge that it has loyal allies and protectors across the region. Those who harbour hate for this Ummah, just as she does.

It is high-time for this paralysis to end. It is long-overdue. Opposing the occupier’s crimes in Palestine cannot be done while at the same time supporting or justifying the tyranny of her allies throughout the region and beyond. Neither can it be done while at the same time asserting continuing to assert an allegiance to artificial nation-states or even the tyrannical cliques that run them.

The boycott of the occupier must continue, as must the constant documentation and highlighting the crimes she undertakes. But it is also now time to disavow those who are the occupier’s first line of defence: her regional allies. There must never be loyalty, respect or obedience to tyranny, in whatever form it shows itself in – whether it wears the mask of Zionism or attempts to cloak itself in the guise of Islam.

We must never compromise. We will never surrender. For we are legion – we are the Ummah of Muḥammad peace be upon him. It is now time for us to think and act as such.